


Children

by soulmetalfairy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Asthmatic Steve Rogers, Avengers Family, Awesome Clint Barton, BAMF Clint Barton, BAMF Natasha Romanov, Bruce Banner & Thor Friendship, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Feels, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Gen, Hurt Bruce Banner, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt Thor (Marvel), Hurt Tony Stark, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Clint Barton, Protective Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Still Has Arc Reactor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-08 12:40:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16429595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulmetalfairy/pseuds/soulmetalfairy
Summary: Natasha and Clint were not sure how it had happened. All they knew now as that they had a situation on their hands. Instead of four grown teammates, they now had four five year old children who were scared out of their minds. It falls onto their shoulders to take care of the four heroes, but they quickly learn that it will be much harder then they thought. How will they handle the situation?( ON HIATUS )





	1. The Kids Are Alright

The mission was not going well.

The call to assemble had come early in the morning. Loki had managed to break out of prison, and  had managed to pass through the bifrost undetected from Asgard. He had brought some of his friends along with him, and they were causing problems in the city. They had terrorized a large group of tourists, as well as kids who were making their way to school. That was something they could not have.

And then the mission went to hell.

'' Cap, above you.'' Clint called out from his perch. He saw Steve look up in time to block an attack from the girl who would not stop throwing daggers at them. She was the definition of a ninja in Clint's mind.

'' We have to take them down.'' Steve said. '' I'm not sure how much more of this we can take.''

'' These guys just won't die.'' Tony growled over the coms before flying overhead of where Steve was. '' Thor, is there anything you can think of that will take them down?'' He asked.

'' We are already doing such thing friend Stark.'' Thor stated. '' These are indeed formidable foes.'' He commented.

'' Yeah, no kidding.'' Tony said.

A roar rang out behind them as the Hulk came rushing in. considering that they would not go down this was a code green, and they needed the Hulk. The Hulk rushed past them, launching in the air to grab ahold of the girl who had been throwing the daggers. He threw her into the nearby building, hurtling after her to continue his attack. As he did this Natasha went racing by, shocking one of the attackers with her widow bites before racing away to reload.

Natasha had only got a few feet away from them, and then she heard a shout over the coms. She spun around to find a bright light emanating from the middle of the battle field. There was another shout over the coms, the same from before. She got closer to the light, and realized who was screaming.

It was Steve, and what ever that light was had struck him in the chest. He was being forced to the ground by it, his shield doing nothing to block the attack.

'' Hang on Cap.'' Tony yelled over the coms. '' I'm almost there.'' He stated as he flew overhead. A moment later Thor was flying overhead as well, following Tony towards the bright light. Natasha watched as Tony moved to fire at what ever was making that light, but before he could the light was shooting up at him. Natasha watched as it struck him in the chest, and then she heard Tony cry out in pain before his suit was sent plunging to the ground.

'' Thor, get him!'' Natasha shouted over the coms as she raced in his direction. She would not be able to reach them in time.

'' I am on it.'' Thor answered as he dove for the falling suit. However, just before he could grab Tony's arm that same light struck him. Thor cried out, and then he fell silent as a plume of smoke went up into the air. There was a roar as the Hulk came rushing in, clearly angry with what ever had attacked his teammates. He struck the person who was creating the light, which appeared to be Loki if Natasha was not mistaken. Natasha was sure that he would not stand a chance against the Hulk.

She was wrong.

A moment later she saw the light again, and then the Hulk was nowhere to be seen, and Loki was not their either. Natasha stopped where she was, unable to wrap her head around what had just happened.

'' Clint, do you have a visual on them?'' Natasha asked.

'' No. They got away.'' Clint answered. '' But Nat, I think you should get to the others.'' He said, a hint of urgency to his voice.

'' Why's that?'' She asked.

'' You'll see what I mean in a minute.'' Clint said. '' Just get over there to them.''

Natasha did not waste another minute in rushing over to them. She stood on the edge of the crater that they were laying in. She was shocked at the sight before her.

'' This isn't good.'' She whispered.

 

\---

 

'' How the hell did Loki manage to do this?'' Fury demanded, looking to Natasha and Clint.

'' We don't know.'' Natasha said. She felt a tug on her pants leg. When she looked down she found a five year old Steve Rogers looking up at her.

'' I want my mama.'' He said, lower lip trembling. She sighed, reaching down to pick up the five year old.

'' It's ok Steve.'' She said. '' Don't worry. You'll see your mom soon.'' She lied. She looked over to where the other members were sitting around Clint. Tony was looking all over himself with bright curious eyes. Thor looked like he was confused, his eyes never leaving the three adults in the room. Bruce on the other hand looked like he was scared. His gaze was directed at the ground, his legs drawn up to his chest to make himself look smaller.

It was an unnerving sight to say the least. She never thought that they would be in a situation like this one.

'' What are we going to do with them?'' Clint asked. '' They don't remember anything. I don't even think they know where they are.'' He stated. Clint felt a tug at his own pants. He looked down to see Tony looking up at him.

'' Where's Jarvis?'' He asked. '' I'm not supposed to leave him.''

Clint looked up to Natasha with a sad look in his eyes. He had no idea how to answer the kid.

However, that was not their biggest concern. What ever Loki had done to them had caused Steve to regress to before he had the super soldier serum. He was much smaller then the other three children, looking like he had the body of a three year old instead of being five. It was not just Steve that they were worried about. They were also worried about Tony because he still had the arc reactor in his chest. It was the same size at it had been in his adult body, which could not be good for his breathing in his younger body.

'' Take them down to medical and have them checked out. Until we get this solved I don't want any of them killing over because of this spell.'' Fury said.

'' What about after that?'' Clint said. '' Do we just take them back to the tower?'' He asked.

'' I don't see any other option unless you want to leave them here.'' Fury said, an evil glint in his eyes.

'' They're going with us when we're done in medical.'' Natasha said before Clint even had the chance to answer.

'' Very well then.'' Fury said. He left the room soon after. As soon as he was gone Natasha heard Thor speak up.

'' My father would never allow someone like him to tell me what to do.'' He whispered.

'' Well your fathers not here right now.'' Clint said. He bent down, placing a hand on the young gods shoulder. '' Will you be good for us and listen to what we say until your father does get here?'' He asked. Thor looked like he wanted to argue with Clint for a moment or two. However, a terrified look from Bruce had the god nodding his head. '' Good. Let's get you guys checked out in medical.'' He stated. Thor followed Clint obediently, but both Tony and Bruce were not following him. Natasha kept her arms wrapped around Steve, turning to face the two children.

'' We need to go somewhere you two. Can you please follow us?'' Natasha asked in a soft voice that Clint had heard her use only around his own kids. Bruce looked at the floor, ignoring her question all together.

'' Mom says not to follow strangers.'' Tony whispered, digging the toe of his shoe into the floor. '' I want to go home.'' He added, even softer then before.

'' We'll take you home soon buddy.'' Clint said. '' But we need to have some nice people make sure you're not hurt before we do that.'' He stated. Tony looked up to Clint, fear mixing with the curiosity in those deep brown eyes.

'' Promise?'' Tony asked.

'' Promise, now come on.'' Clint said, holding a hand out for the child. Tony looked skeptical for a minute, but finally he reached out to take Clint's hand. When Bruce realized that the others were leaving tears filled his eyes as he ran after them. He latched onto Natasha's free hand, hiding behind her as they walked along.

'' Don't be afraid little one.'' Natasha said. '' Everything's going to be alright.'' She assured. Bruce looked up at her in awe for a split second, but then his gaze fell to the floor again.

Natasha made a mental note to go through their files again once they were back at the tower.

 

\---

 

Medical was a living nightmare.

Thor would not sit still long enough for the doctor to look him over. It got so bad that Clint was forced to physically hold the god down as they checked out the important things before letting him go with a clean bill of health. Steve did not cause any problems, but they did learn that without the serum in his veins he had many health problems that they would have to watch for. He had a weak immune system, and to top that off he suffered from severe asthma. Tony was healthy, but the doctors were concerned about the arc reactor taking up to much space in his chest. The biggest fear was his breathing, which was why the doctors gave the two agents a second inhaler in case they needed it. Bruce had a clean bill of health. He would not talk to the doctors, and he would barely even look at them. The doctors tried everything to get him to just say hi to the nurse, but he refused.

Natasha made a bigger mental note to check Bruce's file first when they got to the tower.

Finally, they were allowed to leave.

When Clint landed the quinjet on the roof he could already hear the four kids bouncing around, begging to be let out of their seats. He cast a glance to Natasha as she began to unbuckle herself from the copilots seat.

'' You ready for this?'' Clint asked.

'' I've dealt with your two heathens. What's the worst that could happen?'' Natasha asked.

'' Well, for starters one of them isn't even from earth.'' Clint said as he climbed out of his seat. '' And the other three are..... Well.... We know nothing about when they were children.'' Clint said.

'' I know only a little bit about Stark because of my assignment a few years ago. The other two I couldn't tell you.'' Natasha explained. Steve was already making a grabbing motion with his hands, asking to be helped out of his seat belt. Natasha helped him to get free, setting him down on the floor as she turned to help get Bruce free of his as well. Clint turned to help the other two, but found that Tony had already freed himself, and Thor had torn the straps in half to free himself.

For a five year old, Thor was a strong kid.

'' Pretty smart for a five year old.'' Natasha commented, nodding her head at Stark.

'' Yeah, and for a five year old Thor's stronger then any of us were.'' Clint mumbled.

'' Wanna bet?'' Natasha asked as she made her way to the exit. Clint did not make another comment as he worked to usher the four children off the jet. All four of them were looking around at the communal floor as if it were candy land.

'' This place is so HUGE!'' Steve shouted, his voice echoing off the walls. Natasha saw Bruce flinch at the sound of Steve's voice, and she noted that Tony had also grown wary. Something was up.

_'' Welcome back agent Romanov, agent Barton. How may I help you?''_

All four of the children jumped at the sound of Jarvis's voice.

'' Who was that?'' Steve asked.

'' Ti's a ghost.'' Thor mumbled.

'' G-Ghost?'' Tony stuttered.

Bruce looked like he was going to start crying as he moved to hide behind Natasha's legs. The other kids rushed behind her as well.

'' Everything's alright.'' Natasha said. '' He's a friend.'' She assured.

'' Jarvis, you mind ordering pizza for these four?'' Clint asked. '' Because I don't feel like cooking.'' He stated.

_'' Certainly agent Barton. Anything else that you require?''_

'' Can you put on a cartoon for them to watch?'' Natasha asked. '' Something that they may like.'' She added. A moment later the large TV across the room was flashing on, and old Mikey Mouse cartoons began to flash across the screen. Steve squealed in excitement as the four rushed towards the TV, all of them sitting down to watch with excitement. Steve was talking about the cartoons as they watched, telling them all about how he used to go to the movies each week to watch the new cartoons. Natasha and Clint both released a sigh of relief as they dropped into the arm chairs around the computer.

They knew things would only get harder from here, so they had some research to do. While the kids were watching TV Natasha moved to sit beside Clint, pulling out a Stark pad.

'' Jarvis, pull up the shield files labeled under our names.'' Natasha said.

_'' Certainly Agent.''_

A moment later six separate files sat unopened on the screen. She swiped both hers and Clints away, focusing only on the ones for their four teammates.

'' Which should we start with?'' Clint asked.

'' Bruce's.'' She said. '' He seems like the one who's the worst off at the moment, and we know the least about who he was as a child.'' Clint nodded, and opened up the file.

The next few hours were spent slowly reading through the information about the four members, and learning what they had to suffer through in their childhood.

Bruce was abused as a child by his father. He had suffered under his fathers abuse along with his mother for much of his early life until his father had finally murdered her. It was recorded that Bruce was right in the other room when it had happened, and he had heard his mother crying for her life. The thought of having to hear one of your parents being killed was a horrifying thing to think of. Natasha now understood why he was the way he was at this age, compared to the somewhat shy doctor he normally was.

Steve's childhood had taken place during the great depression for the most part. Unlike Bruce, his parents did not die when he was just a child, however, he did suffer greatly during the depression. The price of medicine in that time had been far to expensive for his family to afford. Because of this they were unable to buy his medication, so he would suffer from asthma attacks that would nearly kill him. There had been a few close calls when he was seven that had nearly ended his life. Just the thought of what could have happened if Asthma had claimed Steve back then made Natasha shudder.

Tony's childhood, despite being the heir to an arms empire, was no better then the rest. Howard Stark, despite looking like the perfect father to the media, was an absolute jerk when it came to being a parent. There were reports written by the living version of Jarvis about what Howard had done to him. Howard would beat Tony if he did something that he saw as worthless, such things as creating his own toy race car when he was six. All he ever wanted from Tony was weapons designs, or something that would benefit the company. Howard was never kind to Tony, and because of this he was a shut in for most of his life until Howard died when Tony was 18. Natasha never wanted more then now to punch the elder Stark in the face for what he had done to Tony.

There was not much information on Thor. Most of his childhood was normal, that is, if training to fight at the age of ten was normal for an asgardian. Thor seemed like the one that would listen to them the most. He might be a bit stubborn here and there, but hopefully he would listen to them.

The pizza arrived when they finished reading through the files, and Natasha left to pay for it while Clint kept an eye on the kids. When Natasha left he noticed that the kids had stopped paying attention to the film.

'' Where's she going?'' Tony asked.

'' Don't worry. She's just getting some food.'' Clint said. '' We ordered pizza, you like pizza don't you?''

All four of them smiled at this, which shocked Clint since he was sure that Thor had never had any pizza before. He heard the front door close, and then he was getting up off the couch.

'' Who wants pizza?'' Clint asked.

'' ME!'' They all shouted while jumping to their feet. Clint lead them towards the kitchen where Natasha was already moving to get out the plates. Steve was the first in line, reaching for the plates so that he could hand them out to the others. Clint and Natasha chuckled at the sight. Of course he would still want to help like this. Steve had the biggest heart they had ever seen.

At least Dinner, despite it being a bit messy, was not a problem.


	2. Showers and Nightmares

Dinner may not have been a problem, but trying to get the four kids to settle down for showers and bed was even harder.

Clint was in charge of making sure the four of them got cleaned up. The fasted, and probably easiest, way to get the job was to just get all four of them into the large bathtub that was on his own floor. He had convinced Tony to at least put one in on his floor even though the billionaire did not want one in the tower at all. Clint was thankful for once that he had argued with Stark about this. There was no way he would get them to stay in a shower stall long enough to wash up.

He got lucky with the fact that all four of them were willing to get into the tub without a fight. They crowded in, immediately beginning to splash around in the warm water. Bruce looked like he was a little uncomfortable, keeping his gaze cast away from the others. Clint got to work on getting the four of them washed up. It would have been just fine, except that they saw that it was fun to splash him with water every five seconds. He was soaked before he had even finished with one of them.

'' OK. Let's try a new game.'' Clint suggested as water dripped down his face. '' Let's not splash the water out of the tub anymore, and maybe there will be a treat waiting for you when you are done.'' He said. There was a moment of silence, all four kids looking at him. Then there was movement.

Thor splashed him with water and suds again.

Clint sighed, ducking his head as the other three kids began to laugh. Thor had managed to get Bruce to laugh, which seamed shocking to say the least. Clint only shook his head before reaching back into the fray to finish what he had started.

An hour and a half later he had them dressed in some pajamas that Jarvis had delivered shortly after they had returned to the tower. When Clint walked out of the bathroom soaked from head to toe Natasha just laughed.

'' Do your kids ever get that bad?'' She asked.

'' Sadly, no.'' Clint said. '' Maybe if they did then I could have seen it coming.'' He commented before moving towards his bedroom. '' Your turn.'' He stated.

'' Right.'' Natasha said, walking out of the room to find the four children chasing each other in front of the elevator. She reached out, pressing the button to go up. She and Clint had decided earlier that they needed to keep the kids together while they were like this. Because of this, they decided to have the kids sleep in the communal floor. It would be the easiest for them to keep track of the kids, and it meant that they had constant surveillance from JARVIS. 

Natasha had brought two mattresses for the kids to sleep on. She had laid them in the floor in front of the TV, and had piled on tons of blankets to keep the four of them warm. When the door to the elevator opened they all rushed inside. Natasha cracked a smile when she saw Tony rush for the first mattress, and he began to jump on it. This only lasted a minute however, because when he realized Natasha was watching him he stopped, his gaze falling to the floor.

'' Sorry. I won't do it again.'' He mumbled. 

'' You don't have to be sorry.'' Natasha stated. '' If you want to jump then you can.'' 

'' It's fun.'' Steve cried out from the other bed. Natasha looked up in time to watch as Thor jumped on that same mattress, sending Steve high into the air as he squealed with joy. Bruce looked hesitant to join in on the fun. He glanced up to Natasha as if to ask for permission. She knelt beside him, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder. 

'' You can do that to you know.'' She stated. Bruce's eyes lit up even if only for a minute. 

'' You won't yell?'' He asked in a soft voice. Natasha cast him a soft smile. 

'' No I won't.'' She said. '' Now go have some fun for a little bit.'' Bruce smiled for a moment, and then he ran to the mattress that Tony was now jumping on. The kids cheered and laughed for about ten minutes. When Clint returned to the room shortly after that the kids were starting to grow sluggish. It was clear that they were running out of energy. Bruce had stopped moving all together, his eyes drooping as he tried his best to stay awake. Tony was sitting beside Bruce, talking up a storm about his family as he tried desperately to stay awake. Thor was still bouncing around like a lunatic, but it was clear in the tired gaze he cast to them that he would drop soon. Steve had stopped jumping awhile ago, his head lulling forward every few seconds only to shoot back up. 

'' We better get them to sleep.'' Clint said. '' Steve's got maybe two minutes tops before he drops.'' He stated. 

'' I'm with you on that one.'' Natasha said. She pushed up from the chair she had been sitting in, making her way towards the mattresses. '' Alright guys, time for bed.'' All four of them groaned in annoyance, but began to lay down on the bed. Natasha tucked the four kids in, making sure that they were comfortable before moving away. 

'' JARVIS, dim the lights.'' Clint said. 

It got dark in the room, and then he heard a soft whimper. Clint felt his heart stop a the sound, recognizing the sound. He had heard it plenty of times with his own children. 

That was fear. 

'' Jarvis, bring the lights back up.'' Clint said. The lights came back on, and Clint immediately spotted the figure who had cried out. 

It was Bruce. 

He had tears streaming down his face, his knees drawn up to his chest. Tony was watching him with confused eyes. 

'' It's ok Bruce. It's dark because its time to go to bed.'' Tony said. He reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. Bruce jerked away from the touch, nearly falling off the mattress. Tony looked hurt by the gesture, looking up to Clint and Natasha in confusion. He looked like he was going to start crying before Natasha appeared at his side. She scooped Tony up in her arms, quickly depositing him on the other mattress beside Thor and Steve. The two blonde headed kids were watching in confusion as Natasha move to sit beside Bruce. She saw his head lift enough for him to gaze at her, his eyes red and puffy as tears fell. 

'' Brucie, it's ok.'' She whispered. '' Are you afraid of the dark?'' She asked. Bruce nodded slowly, his breath hitching in his throat. 

'' Darkness bad.'' He whispered. '' Don't like it.'' 

'' Aw... Brucie.'' Natasha reached out, wrapping the kid up in a tight hug. She felt him press his face into her shoulder, tears quickly soaking through her shirt. Bruce was trembling in her arms as Clint moved to kneel beside the other kids. They were whispering between each other, and Clint was doing his best to get them to calm down. They were all watching with nervous gazes. Tony looked like he was still going to burst out crying, never once taking his eyes off of Bruce no matter how much Clint tried. Natasha turned her attention away from the other three children as she hugged Bruce closer to her chest. She began to slowly rock back and forth, whispering into his ear softly. 

'' It's ok now Bruce. We won't turn the lights off again, I promise you.'' Natasha whispered. '' It's alright little guy. Just breath with me. It's alright.'' She kept this up for about five more minutes, and finally Bruce fell silent. She did not let go of him for a few more minutes. In that time the other three kids had left Clint's side to sit around her and Bruce. 

'' T'is alright now my friend. I promise you that we will not allow the lights to go dark again.'' Thor stated with a soft smile. A second later Tony was reaching out, resting a hand  on Bruce's shoulder. 

'' Are you ok now?'' He asked in a soft voice. Bruce looked up to him, half his face still buried into Natasha's stomach. Tears still fell from the corners of his eyes as he nodded slowly. 

'' Hey, I have an idea.'' Steve cheered, moving closer to Bruce. '' Why don't we watch some more cartoons. That will cheer you up some.'' He suggested. Steve looked up to Natasha and Clint as if asking for permission. Natasha sighed, but Clint began to laugh at this. 

'' That's alright, but if you're tired then try to go to sleep.'' Clint said, already moving towards the TV to turn it on. He had the screen on by the time that Bruce was starting to try and break free of Natasha's hold. 

'' You alright now?'' She asked, her hands still resting on Bruce's shoulders. He nodded, scrubbing at his eyes. There was snot smeared all over his face, which he only made messier when he tried to wipe it away. Natasha chuckled at this before moving to the kitchen to get a wet rag to clean him up. By the time she had rid his face of the mess he was paying more attention to the movie then anything else. Clint had picked another mickey mouse cartoon for them to watch. Thankfully it was a more modern one so that Steve would not talk about it the whole time. Clint and Natasha both sat beside the mattresses watching the kids. 

At some point they both passed out, to tired to keep their eyes open. 

 

\---

 

When they woke up the next morning both SHIELD agents were covered in four sleeping children. 

Natasha woke to find that Bruce and Steve both had fallen asleep using her legs as pillows. Clint had Thor sprawled across his chest like a blanket, the gods head turned so that Natasha could see his sleeping face. Tony was laying across his legs, his head resting on Natasha's leg beside Steve's head. They all looked so peaceful. She could not resist as she called out to Jarvis above her. 

'' Jarvis, take a photo will you?'' She asked. 

_'' Certainly agent Romanov.''_

She saw the flash, and then there was movement below her. She looked down in time to see Steve lift his head. He looked up at her groggily, his eyes half lidded. 

'' Morning sunshine.'' She commented with a laugh. Steve slowly sat up, scrubbing at his eyes with a fist as he yawned. 

'' Did Bruce start crying again?'' He asked, his eyes bleary when he looked up at her again. 

'' No, it's morning now.'' Natasha stated. Steve looked around a moment, his eyes finding the other sleeping children. His eyes opened wide in realization as he held a finger to his mouth. Natasha chuckled as she mimicked the quiet motion. Natasha then picked Bruce up, laying him down carefully beside Clint before she reached for Steve. She picked him up, balancing him on one hip as she moved towards where the kitchen was. 

'' Why don't you help me get breakfast together for them?'' Natasha asked. Steve gave her a bright smile as he began to squirm in her grip. 

'' I want to make the eggs.'' Steve said. 

'' OK, but I'm helping.'' Natasha said.  Steve did not seem all that happy about this, but he agreed anyways. When they reached the kitchen Natasha set Steve on the counter top, and she asked him to sit still as she got everything together that they needed to make breakfast. 

In the time that this took she heard three voices filtering through from the other room. She was not sure what those kids were getting up to, but she hoped that it was not something serious. She left it at that as she plugged in the toaster. She had Steve put four pieces of bread in as she prepped a pan for the eggs. About five minutes later she heard the pitter patter of little feet against the tile floor. She glanced to the doorway to find Thor and Tony rushing inside. Clint followed a moment later, rubbing at the back of his neck as he supported Bruce on his hip. 

'' Sleep well?'' Natasha asked, already knowing the answer. 

'' I think I'll need to see a chiropractor after this is all said and done.'' Clint stated as he set Bruce down in one of the chairs around the table.  Bruce was still scrubbing at his eyes, trying not to fall asleep as he yawned. Thor began to try and reach for the spatula that was resting beside the hot pan. He had nearly reached it by the time that he was swept off his feet by Natasha. Thor squirmed in her arms as she carried him over to the table, setting him down beside Thor. 

'' We don't need one of you getting burned on my watch.'' Natasha said. She saw Tony reach for the same spatula out of the corner of her eyes. Clint was fast to grab him before he could reach it, depositing him in another chair before he could even protest. Tony pouted once he was set down, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the table. Thor followed suit, clearly as annoyed as he was. Bruce just looked tired, his head falling against the table as if he were going to fall asleep. 

'' Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes, so just be patient ok.'' Natasha said over her shoulder. 

A moment later there was a voice from overhead. 

_'' I hate to inform you Agent Romanov, but it appears that Miss Potts is on her way. She will not listen to what I have to say.''_

Natasha cast a worried glance towards Clint. 

'' Go. I got this one.'' Clint said, already reaching for the spatula in her hands. Natasha passed it off, and then she ran for the door. 

'' Who is a Miss Potts?'' Tony spoke up. 

'' If only you knew kid.'' Clint mumbled with a laugh. 


	3. Exploration

 Natasha met Pepper at the elevator. She did not look pleased when she stepped out, carrying files in one hand and a coffee in the other. 

'' Miss Potts.'' Natasha greeted. '' Jarvis said you were on your way up.'' 

'' What happened this time?'' Pepper asked, worry in her tone. '' Tony won't answer my calls. I've been trying to get in contact with him yesterday.'' 

'' Yeah, about that-''

There was a crash from in the direction of the kitchen followed by a child's scream. Pepper flinched at the sound, her eyes going wide in shock. 

'' Was that a child?'' Pepper asked. '' What is a kid doing up here?'' 

'' Miss Potts, let me explain before you-'' 

Pepper marched by her before Natasha could stop her. Natasha raced after her, worried about what Pepper would think once she walked into the kitchen. The closer they got the louder the child voices got. Natasha felt worry grow in her chest as they turned the corner. Pepper froze in the doorway, watching the scene before her. 

There were the four de-aged Avengers, and they were waiting patiently at the kitchen table for their breakfast. Clint was standing close by with a pan of eggs in one hand, and a spatula in the other. His eyes quickly found the extra figure standing in the doorway. He nearly dropped the spatula on top of Thor's head when he saw the shock in Peppers eyes. 

'' What on earth happened here?'' Pepper asked. 

'' Long story short, Loki happened.'' Natasha explained. '' He cast some sort of spell that did this to them. We don't know how long it will last.'' She stated. Pepper took a few steps closer to the table, looking over the four kids. Her eyes landed on Tony. Pepper looked back to Natasha. 

'' I'll make sure this doesn't get to the public.'' Pepper said. '' They don't need to know any of this.'' 

'' I agree.'' Natasha said. 

'' I didn't realize the situation was this bad. Honestly I thought he was just ignoring my calls.'' Pepper stated. 

'' We would prefer if it were so.'' Natasha said. '' Just try to keep the public's eye off us. The last thing we need is them realizing that four out of six of us are now kids.'' She explained. 

'' I'll do the best I can.'' Pepper said. Her eyes strayed to Tony once more, noting the arc reactor that was taking up most of his chest. Natasha could see the worry in her eyes. '' Is the reactor causing any serious problems?'' She asked. 

'' Not that we know of yet.'' Natasha said. '' He hasn't said anything about it hurting, so we're hoping it won't cause any problems.'' She explained. 

'' Ok then.'' Pepper whispered. '' Call me if anything happens, and if you can't get in contact with me then call Rhodey.'' She said. 

'' We will.'' Natasha said. 

After that Pepper was gone, leaving the group of six to their meal. 

 

\---

 

 

When breakfast was over with the kids were fully awake, and they were hyperactive. The fatigue from earlier that morning was long gone, and now they were bouncing off the walls. 

'' You'd think they would have tired themselves out.'' Clint commented as he turned to face Thor. He was climbing up The staircase while hanging off the side of it like a monkey. He immediately rushed over to get him down before he could fall and hurt himself. Natasha had her hands full with Steve and Tony, who had decided that running around like maniacs was the best way to spend their time. Steve had nearly fallen a few times in their mad dash, and it worried Natasha to no end. What made her worry the most was that she did not know if this would set off his asthma. He looked to be OK, but looks can be deceiving. She did not want to risk what would happen if he dropped because he could not breath. She was also worried about Tony because they still had no idea how the arc reactor would affect his child body. They already knew that it gave him some problems when he was fully grown, especially when it rained. However, it was still the same size in his kid body. She wanted to play it safe until they figured out how it affected him. 

'' Alright you two, that's enough.'' Natasha said, reaching to grab Steve. She swept the blonde kid up into her arms. She had him balanced on her his as she reached out her free hand wrapping around Tony's arm to keep him from running away. He immediately stopped, a guilty look filling his eyes. Natasha was taken aback by this, immediately letting go of him. Tony did not run away like she thought he would. 

'' I'm sorry. I won't run anymore.'' He whispered, his gaze falling to the floor. The sight broke Natasha's heart. She knelt down in front of him, reaching down to place a hand on his shoulder. Tony looked up at her with fearful eyes. Her hand came up beside her in an attempt to pull him into a hug. The second Tony saw it tears filled his eyes. '' I promise I won't do it again. Please don't hit me.'' Tony begged, covering his head with his hands. 

The room fell deathly silent. 

Clint was watching them with shocked eyes, Thor tucked under one arm like a rag doll while Bruce hung onto the other arm. Bruce looked horrified at the sight, his own eyes starting to tear up as he moved to hide behind Clints legs. Thor broke free of Clints hold, falling beside Bruce. 

'' Do you plan to hurt friend Tony?'' Thor asked, not taking his eyes off of Natasha. 

'' No.'' Natasha breathed. '' Dear god, no. I would never want to hurt him.'' She whispered. Natasha set Steve back on the ground, reaching out with both hands to pull Tony close for a hug. '' I promise you that I would never hurt you.'' She whispered into his ears. 

'' Ok.'' Tony whispered, nodding against her chest. She did not dare to move for nearly five minutes. When she finally let go of him she gave him a soft smile. 

'' I have an idea.'' She suggested. '' A game that does not involve running all over the place.'' She said. 

'' What is it?'' Steve asked. 

'' Why don't we play hide and seek?'' She asked. '' You know what that game is right?'' Steve's face lit up like a Christmas tree. He began to bounce on his toes as he looked over to Tony. 

'' Have you ever played?'' Steve asked. 

'' With Jarvis.'' Tony said, a soft smile forming on his face. 

'' Alright then.'' Natasha glanced back towards Clint who looked much more relieved. '' Why don't the four of you go hide with Clint, and I will be the seeker.'' She suggested. All the kids smiled at this as they whispered amongst themselves. 

'' Let's set some rules first.'' Clint said, catching their attention. '' We need to stay on this floor OK. Don't go up or downstairs. You stay on this floor, and if you hear one of us yell for you then you come running.'' Clint said. 

'' OK.'' The kids all said in unison. 

'' Alright then. Let's get to hiding.'' Clint said. He reached down, sweeping Steve of his feet before he could go running off, and then he was running towards the door. Natasha laughed when she heard the young blonde scream in delight and surprise. She turned her back on the group, and began to count. 

 

\---

 

Bruce was not really sure where to hide that would be safe for him. 

He had never played such a game, but the other kids seemed to excited about it that he wanted to try it more then anything. 

He wound up following closely behind Tony and Thor. He was not sure where he should hide, so he thought that they may help him. At some point Thor split away from the group, picking a cabinet to hide in which was the perfect size for him. Bruce continued to follow Tony towards the end of the hall, finding him standing in front of the elevator. Bruce watched as Tony stood up n his tippy toes to try and press the down button. Bruce ran up beside him just as Tony managed to press the button. 

'' We have to stay on this floor.'' Bruce said in a soft voice. '' We can't go downstairs.'' 

'' It's ok.'' Tony said. '' I'm not going downstairs. I'm hiding in there. They won't think to check.'' He said. Bruce cocked his head to the side in confusion as the door opened up. He turned to walk inside, and as he did Bruce followed. He was to afraid to get separated from Tony right now. He watched as the door closed, and then the Elevator went Quiet. Tony began to giggle as he took a seat on the floor. 

'' Are you sure this is ok?'' Bruce asked. 

'' I'm sure it is.'' Tony said. '' Jarvis always let me do it when we played, as long as I did not get in daddy's way.'' He explained Bruce's gaze fell to the floor. 

'' Daddy never let me play.'' Bruce whispered. 

'' What about your mom?'' Tony asked. 

'' My mom.... Something happened to her when I was little.'' Bruce said. '' I don't want to talk about it.'' Tony looked up to him with sad eyes. 

'' I'm sorry for asking.'' Tony mumbled. He moved to push to a stand, but before he could the elevator shuddered. Bruce fell to his knees beside Tony. Tears sprung to Bruce's eyes as he looked around himself. 

'' What was that?'' Bruce asked. 

'' I don't know.'' Tony whispered. '' Maybe it was a-''

He did not finish before the elevator shook hard enough to throw them both off the floor. The elevator seemed to plummet for a few seconds, and then it stopped. The lights began to flicker inside, scaring the two even more. 

_'' Young Sir, are you alright?''_

'' What's going on? I'm scared.'' Bruce screamed as tears fell from his eyes. Tony reached out, pressing the button that he knew would open the elevator doors. When they did open he realized that it was stuck between two floors. 

'' We're trapped.'' Tony whispered, a hint of horror in his voice. His heart pounded against the bright thing in his chest. It hurt somewhat, and he did not like that. 

_'' Sir, you must calm down. Panicking will only make things worse. I am informing the others of the failure in the elevator shaft. They will be here to help you and Dr. Banner momentarily.''_

Bruce crawled over to Tony, tears streaming from his eyes as he reached out to Tony. Tony sat beside him, wrapping his arms around the crying boy in an attempt to calm him. However, he was barely holding himself together. 

 

\---

 

'' Not the best hiding place buddy.'' Natasha commented as she helped to free Thor from the cabinet he had managed to get himself stuck in. Thor pouted when he was finally freed. 

'' I have done so before. I have never gotten stuck like that.'' Thor said. 

'' Right.'' Natasha whispered. '' Why don't you help me find the others?'' She asked. Thor nodded, and slowly began to follow her through the floor. They found Steve and Clint about ten minutes later hiding in the air vents. If Steve had not started giggling then Natasha was sure that they would have won the game. After helping the two from the vents they set out to search for Tony and Bruce. 

They searched for around ten minutes, hoping to find them quickly to start a  new round of the game. however, there was no sign of them anywhere.

'' These two were clever.'' Natasha whispered. '' I wonder where they went off to.''

'' I have a bad feeling about that.'' Clint said. '' Let's hope that they did not go downstairs.''

'' Could they be in the elevator?'' Steve asked, tugging on Clint's pants. Clint shrugged, turning to head in that direction.

'' It doesn't hurt to check.'' Clint said. '' Hopefully Jarvis kept them from going down a floor.'' He mumbled.

'' He would have told us by now if they tried.'' Natasha commented. They reached the door to the elevator, to which Clint reached out to press the button. Just as he did so the floor under them shuddered. Thor and Steve cried out in surprise, clinging onto Clint and Natasha in fear. They heard something metal snap, and then there was a bang.

Silence followed.

'' What the hell was that?'' Natasha breathed.

'' I don't know.'' Clint mumbled. '' Jarvis, what was that?'' He immediately asked.

Silence met them for a few minutes, only making their fear worsen.

_'' The cable for the elevator has broken. I managed to stop it before it could fall, but it is stuck between the floor below us and this one.''_

'' Jarvis, where is Tony and Bruce?'' Natasha asked.

_'' Young sir and Dr.Banner are inside of the elevator. They were hiding inside of it for your game.''_

Natasha and Clint shared a look of horror at the realization.

'' What's happening? Are Tony and Bruce ok?'' Steve asked.

'' Are they in need of assistance?'' Thor asked.

'' We need to get them out of there.'' Clint said. '' I should be able to get the door open, but someone needs to climb down to them.'' He stated.

'' Let us help them.'' Steve insisted.

'' No.'' They both said at the same time. Steve and Thor looked disappointed at this.

'' It's too dangerous for the two of you.'' Natasha stated. '' Just stay back while we work through this.'' She explained. Steve's eyes began to fill with tears.

'' Are they going to be ok?'' Steve asked.

'' Of course they will.'' Natasha whispered. '' Just go with Thor and wait for us ok. I promise you that we will get them out of there in one piece.'' She stated, reaching down to ruffle his hair. Steve batted her hands away as a stray tear fell from his eyes. Natasha scrubbed it away with a swipe of her thumb before turning to the door. Clint was already starting to pull at the door to try and get it open. She joined him in the effort, knowing that both kids behind her had not left like she had asked. They were not going to leave that easily, and right now she did not have the time to make them leave.

All she cared about right now was getting Tony and Bruce back up here where it was safe.


	4. Rescue

The lights  continued to flicker above their heads while Tony and Bruce cowered into the corner of the elevator. They were both crying, terrified about what was going to happen to them. 

'' I want out!'' Bruce cried out. '' I want my mommy!'' 

'' Please help us?'' Tony begged. 

_'' Young sir, we are working as fast as we can to get to you.''_

'' I WANT OUT NOW!'' Bruce screamed, his face red with fear as he buried it into his knees. He was trembling beside Tony. 

_'' Brucie, Tony.''_

Tony's head popped up at this. That voice had not been the one that sounded so much like his butler. That was Nat's voice. 

'' Hello?'' Tony whimpered, looking up to the ceiling for any sign of where the voice could be coming from. 

_'' Listen to me you two. It's going to be OK. We are working on getting to you right now.''_

'' We're scared. Please.'' Tony begged. 

_'' I know that you're scared, that's why we're trying to get to you as fast as we can.''_

_'' WE'RE COMING TO RESCUE YOU GUYS!''_

The two of them winced at the sound of Steve's loud cry. 

_'' Stay strong you two. We're coming, just hang in there.''_

The two were left in silence once again, only broken by Bruce's soft cries. 

 

\---

 

'' Dammit, this thing won't open.'' Clint said. 

_'' There is something jamming the door from the inside, I cannot open it myself.''_

'' There has to be something we can do.'' Natasha mumbled. '' Jarvis, could you take control of one of Tony's suits to blast the door down?'' She asked. 

_'' I could, yes. However, I fear that it will off balance the Elevator itself, and send young sir and Dr. Banner plunging to the first floor. I don't want to risk that.''_

'' Then what can we do?'' Clint muttered, smacking his hand against the doors in frustration. He was breathing hard, sweat gathering on his forehead from all the energy that he had been putting into this to get them out of there. 

There was a soft tug on his pants. He looked down to find Thor standing there. 

'' Sorry kid, there's not much you can do that I haven't already tried.'' Clint stated. 

Thor smirked at this. 

'' Let me give it a shot.'' Thor said. Clint cast a gaze towards Natasha. They both were concerned about how this was going to end. Clint moved to stop him from even getting close to the door, but before he could Thor was reaching for it. Clint watched as the five year old god grabbed the door, and began to pull. 

How on earth was it that a five year old could have this kind of strength?

Thor managed to crumple the metal doors like they were made of paper. When he was done the metal was moved completely out of the way leaving a big enough hole for either Clint or Natasha to fit through. Thor turned to face them with a smile. 

'' Did I do good?'' Thor asked. 

Natasha could have kissed him when he said this.

'' You did great, now stay back so we can get to the them.'' Natasha said. Thor nodded to her, and then moved back to where Steve was standing with a nervous look on his face. The two watched as Natasha moved to climb through the hole, grabbing for the one wire that was still intact with the elevator car below.

'' Clint, we may need a harness or something. I'm not sure if I can carry them both out of there with just this wire.'' Natasha stated.

'' Got it. I'll be back.'' Clint said, racing off to the staircase to go down to his floor. He had equipment that would work best for this situation.

'' You two stay right where you are.'' Natasha instructed. '' Don't move from that spot unless I say so, or Clint. Got it?'' The two kids nodded frantically. '' Good.'' Natasha turned her attention back to the climb. The elevator was about two and a half floors down. It was not a long climb, but a dangerous one. If she were to lose her grip and fall onto the elevator car then there was no telling what it could cause. It may knock it lose, and send the three of them falling to their deaths. That was something she could not risk. She tightened her grip around the wire, and swung her full weight out onto it.

The wire held her weight, so that was a good sign.

She slowly began to climb down to the elevator. As she got closer she could hear the two of them crying through the emergency hatch at the top. It took Natasha about ten minutes to climb down safely, carefully placing her entire weight on top of the car. She reached for the emergency release, and as she did she heard Clint cry out from above.

'' I GOT THE ROPE.''  Clint called out, throwing a harness down to Natasha which was attached to the rope. Natasha attached herself to the harness, and then wrenched open the emergency hatch to peer inside.

Tony and Bruce both looked up at her with tear stained faces.

'' It's alright now.'' Natasha said before she jumped down into the elevator. The second her feet hit the floor the two were jumping to their feet. They rushed towards her, sobbing as Natasha wrapped her arms protectively around them. '' I've got you now. You're ok.'' She whispered.

'' You got them!'' Clint called down.

'' Yeah. Pull us up.'' She said. A moment later the rope jerked. Natasha kept a tight grip on the kids in her arms. They were clearly terrified, holding onto her for dear life. It took a few minutes for them to finally get through the elevator door. The second they were Natasha heard Clint Curse above them.

'' Damn, you guys are heavy.''

'' Deal with it birdbrains.'' Natasha said. '' I can't climb and carry the two of them.'' She stated.

'' That's Tony's line.'' Clint said.

'' Well he's not here right now.'' Natasha yelled. That got her a glare through the tears that were still on Tony's face.

'' But... But I'm right here.'' Tony whispered.

'' It's just a joke buddy.'' Natasha said. '' Don't worry, its just for fun.'' Tony nodded before burying his face into Natasha's shoulder. Bruce was watching above them as tears continued to fall. It took Clint about ten minutes to pull them back up to the communal floor. When he finally got them there he was reaching out to pull the kids out of her grip. With the two of them out of her reach she was able to pull herself through the doorway. When she was free of the shaft she rushed over to where Clint was sitting with his arms wrapped protectively around the two boys. Tony and Bruce were sobbing hard once again, their little bodies trembling in his grip. Thor and Steve slowly approached them. Steve reached out to rest a hand on Bruce's back, a look of sadness in his eyes.

'' Are you ok?'' Steve asked. Bruce did not answer him. He just continued to cry. Steve looked upset about the reaction as he looked up to Natasha with hurt eyes.

'' Why won't he talk to me?'' Steve asked, his voice on the verge of tears.

'' He's really upset right now buddy.'' Natasha whispered. '' Just give him some time. It will be alright.''

'' T'is alright my friend.'' Thor said, reaching out to pat the two crying boys on the shoulders. '' The bad metal box has let you live. You should be honored.'' He said with a smile. This got a reaction out of Tony, who looked up to him in confusion.

'' I-It's an elevator.'' Tony rasped out as tears continued to fall from his eyes. Thor did not like the sight of his tears.

'' There is no need to fear anymore my friend.'' Thor said. '' You should rejoice. You are ok.'' He stated.

'' It's going to be ok.'' Clint whispered to them. '' I've got you now.''

Natasha turned her eyes back to the elevator at her back.

Something had caused this. This was not an accident.

She has some work on her hands.

 

\---

 

A few hours later found Clint laying on the couch with Tony and Bruce curled up on his lap. The two were sleeping away, all traces of the tears from before long gone. Thor and Steve sat close by on the floor watching over the two of them. Clint had told them they did not have to stay, but the two insisted.

'' We want to protect them.'' Steve had stated.

'' They deserve to have company when they wake.'' Thor had added.

Clint did not argue with that.

Currently the two were watching some cartoons as Steve showed Thor how to draw with crayons. Thor had already broken three of them from the box of 100 that they had on hand. Thor was getting frustrated because they kept breaking, to which Steve tried his best to show him how to hold the crayons properly. A few minutes later Thor finally had a smile on his face as he colored without the crayon snapping in half. Clint smiled at this before letting his head fall back against the couch.

In the other room, however, Natasha was up to something else.

She had a bad feeling about what had caused the elevator to fall the way it had earlier. The wires holding it up would not just snap like that. Something had to have happened. What she feared was that they had been cut purposefully.

If so, then who had done it?

They had nearly killed Tony and Bruce had JARVIS not jumped in to stop the elevators decent. Natasha was going to make sure that who ever had done this was going down. She would not let them try to harm her teammates again.

'' JARVIS, show me all video feed in or around the mechanism for the elevator.'' Natasha called out once she knew she was alone. She had made her way down to Tony's lab, making sure the doors were locked so that if any of her teammates came looking for her that they would not be able to get in. She did not want any of the kids getting in here. Tony was not known for keeping his lab tidy, many different projects scattered around the place. Most of them looked like repairs to his many sets of armor, while others she could not quite make out what they were.

_'' Certainly Agent Romanov.''_

Natasha sat patiently, watching as many different video feeds were brought up onto the screens before her. She watched as they all began to play at once. Her eyes flitted between each open window, watching for any sign of who may have sabotaged the elevator.

About twenty minutes into the video she saw something enter the frame.

She leaned in closer to the screen, watching as the figure moved quickly towards the hatch for maintenance for the elevator. The person was clearly not on staff for the tower. To get clearance at the top of the building, even if you were performing maintenance, you needed a special pass code from Tony himself. There had been a few times that people had managed to get ahold of the card keys that were originally used, and they broke into his penthouse.

Given that Tony was just a child right now, he never could have given the code to anyone. Not even Pepper knew what it was. That was how secret that he kept this.

Natasha watched as the figure entered the room for maintenance, reaching for a few tools on her belt. She looked like she was actually doing work. That is, until she glanced over her shoulder. Natasha saw a grin creep up on her face as she dug the tip of her tool into the mechanism. It pried the wire holding the elevator in place free. Not even a second later she pulled a wicked looking dagger out of her belt, and with three quick and strong cuts the wire was slashed in half. The wire plummeted through the mechanism. The only wire that remained she was unable to cut, so she did not even realize that she had failed to kill her targets. The lady turned around, giving her a full view of her face.

'' JARVIS pause.'' Natasha called out. The video froze on the frame it was on. She leaned in closer to examine the girls face.

There was no denying it now. That was the girl from the attack the other day.

How had she managed to get into the tower?

Natasha shot to her feet.

'' JARVIS, is she still in the building?'' Natasha asked.

_'' I am searching for her as we speak.''_

'' Good.'' Natasha said. '' Keep me updated.'' She said before rushing for the door to head back up to the others. She rushed upwards, taking the stairs two at a time. When she reached the communal floor she found Clint still sitting on the couch with Bruce and Tony sleeping peacefully. Thor and Steve were coloring, but when she entered the room their attention was immediately drawn to her.

'' Nat?'' Clint turned to look at her. '' What's going on?'' He asked. Natasha walked closer, leaning down to whisper in his ear.

'' We have an intruder. We don't know where she is.'' Natasha whispered. '' She's the reason that the elevator crashed.'' She explained. Clint's eyes went wide in horror a those words. He did not dare to move, afraid of waking the two kids in his lap.

'' What are we going to do?'' Clint asked.

'' Act calm.'' Natasha stated. '' JARVIS is searching for her as we speak. I'm going to call in for some backup. Surly, if she could get to us like this, then someone else will as well.'' She explained. Clint nodded just as there was movement before him. He looked to find Steve standing there.

'' Is something wrong? You're whispering.'' Steve said. '' You shouldn't keep secrets. That's what mama says.'' He added. Clint chuckled at this, hiding all of his worries deep down for the time being.

'' Everything's fine sport.'' Clint said, reaching out to ruffle Steve's hair. Steve giggled at this, batting his hand away. '' Get back to your coloring alright. I'll go see about getting you guys something to eat for lunch.'' Clint said. He glanced to Natasha, who just nodded. Clint carefully moved Tony and Bruce so that they would not wake before exiting the room. Natasha took up a spot on the couch, her hand close to where she kept a holster hidden underneath the cushions.

This intruder was not going to hurt them again.


	5. Secure, Protect

Mere minutes after Clint had left to get in touch with SHIELD Tony and Bruce were waking up.

 Natasha's eyes were trained on the two instantly, worried about how they would react when they realized that Clint was no longer there.

Thankfully, it never came to that.

Bruce blinked in confusion before climbing off the couch to go sit beside Thor and Steve, reaching for one of the crayons that they had dropped on the floor. Tony was scrubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand.

'' Where'd he go?'' Tony asked, gesturing to where Clint had been sitting.

'' He had to take a call. He'll be back in a few minutes.'' Natasha said. Tony nodded, his eyes dropping as his hands fell into his lap. Natasha's eyes flitted over to Bruce and the others. Bruce was reaching for a paper that Thor had dropped in the middle of his drawing, handing it back to the god before reaching for a blank page for himself. Tony was watching them now, clearly wanting to join them. He jumped off the couch, kneeling beside Steve to reach for the red crayon sitting beside him. Natasha could not help the smile that spread on her face at the sight. She never once thought her job would leader to something like this, but it had.

'' JARVIS, Picture.'' Natasha stated. She saw the flash from the camera overhead when it was taken. The kids did not even notice.

A few minutes passed in silence, and then Natasha heard someone walking towards them. Her hands tightened around the gun in the holster as she pulled it free. She turned her head in the direction of the sound. It had come from directly behind her, the same direction that Clint had gone in earlier. Had that been him, or had it been their intruder?

'' What are you doing Tasha?'' Steve called out. Natasha was taken aback by the comment as she glanced to the four kids. They were all watching her with curiosity.

'' I need you four to stay here.'' She stated. '' Don't move from this spot, do you understand?'' She asked. They all nodded. '' Good.'' She stood from the couch, keeping the gun out of their line of sight before she began to move in the direction of the sound. She slowly made her way into the dining room, looking all around herself as she brought her gun up to bear. She searched high and low for any signs of an intruder, but she found none. She moved onto the kitchen next.

She had barely stepped inside before a knife was flying past her face.

Natasha jumped back in time to avoid getting hit in the face. The knife flew past her, embedding into the nearby wall. She spun to the right, firing off one shot. The intruder, the lady who they had been fighting only a day prior, managed to miss her shot. She ran at Natasha, another knife in hand. She swung down faster then Natasha could dodge, the blade slicing into her unprotected arms. It left a deep cut that quickly began to soak into the long sleeve shirt that she had been wearing. Natasha swung to the side, pushing herself over the counter to avoid another attack. She fired a second time, this bullet catching the girl in her left shoulder. She saw her recoil in pain before reaching for another kitchen knife to fling at her.

Natasha heard a soft voice cry out in terror behind her.

She looked back with horrified eyes to find Steve standing there, tears streaming down his face.

'' STEVE RUN!'' She begged. Natasha felt pain in her shoulder. She felt a hand wrap around her throat as she was spun around. She felt the bite of the knife in her shoulder once more before she was dropped to the floor. Natasha saw the lady dart for Steve, who was already disappearing down the hallway. The pain was forgotten as Natasha shoved herself to her feet to race after her. She ran into the living room to find Thor leading the kids towards the stairs, Steve lagging behind. The kid was breathing hard, his face pale as he tried his best to keep up. Natasha felt her heart seize when Steve tripped, collapsing to the floor. She felt her legs begin to move faster as she saw Tony and Thor spin to face Steve.

'' Come on, get up.'' Tony begged, racing pack to try and pull him to his feet. Thor was there in a second, reaching to aid them. Then the ladies hand came down, wrapping tightly around Thor's  arm. He was wrenched up into the air with a yelp of terror, his eyes going wide at the sight of the lady before him.

'' Let me go!'' He screamed. The lady did not relent. She held onto him tighter then ever before turning to Steve. Tony was having none of this. He jumped in front of the boy who now appeared to be struggling to breathe. The lady raised her leg, kicking Tony hard in the chest which sent him flying through the air like a ragdoll. Natasha saw him land in a heap close to where Bruce had fallen to his knees sobbing a few minutes prior.

'' DON'T TOUCH THEM!'' Natasha roared, launching herself onto the ladies back. She latched onto her, wrapping her arm tightly around the one that was holding Thor up. She put as much strength behind her hold as she could, and then her grip finally fell slack. Thor crumbled to the ground, immediately getting back to his fee to rush to the others. He was pulling Steve up, carrying the boy who was even more pale then before to rush to Tony's side. Bruce was trying to help him sit up. Tony had one hand on his chest, clearly in pain. When Natasha took a closer look she realized that the hit must had caused something to happen to the arc reactor.

She had to resolve this fast not only for them, but for herself. As she moved to land another attack on the lady her head began to swim. She was losing a lot of blood. She probably did not have long now before she would pass out.

Natasha put the lady in a headlock, striking her hard in the head. She fell to one side, still struggling against Natasha's onslaught of attacks.

One strike to Natasha's face had her seeing stars. Her grip fell slack, and then she felt a hand wrap around her throat. Natasha forced her eyes to open, and when she did she saw a figure clad in black rushing forward with a bow in hand.

Her eyes went dark, and everything fell silent.

 

\---

 

Clint rushed into the room wielding his bow and arrow to find the intruder laying on top of Natasha with a hand around her throat. His eyes flitted over to the kids long enough to see that they were still there. Tony was gripping at his chest in pain, and Steve was wheezing painfully. Thor and Bruce were trying to console them, but it was clear that it was not working. Clint turned his attention away. He had to take care of this first.

He shot one arrow, striking the lady in the shoulder. She was thrown backwards off of Natasha, who had passed out already. He shot another arrow forward, this one wielding a net which encased her upon impact. She was quickly immobilized, unable to move anything to free herself. She screamed in anger, her eyes glaring daggers at him. He was sure if she were not bound that there would be daggers in his chest right now.

Clint turned his attention back to the kids when he heard Thor call out his name.

'' Friend Steve cannot breath. He is turning blue in the face.'' Thor said, terror in his voice. Clint knelt beside them, reaching out to turn Steve over onto his back. Steve's lips were blue, his face white as a sheet. Clint immediately began to dig for the inhaler in his bag, finding it in mere seconds. He stuck it between Steve's lips and pressed the trigger. He waited a few minutes before daring to do it again.

Finally, after what eh feared would make his heart stop, Steve began to breath again. It was ragged, strained as he began to sob out of fear, but he was breathing. Clint breathed a sigh of relief as he swept Steve up into his arms, cradling him close to his chest.

'' Thank god.'' He whispered. '' You're ok.''

'' Clint.'' Bruce whispered. '' Tony hurt.'' He stated.

Clint's eyes flitted to the other kid. Tony was still gripping at his chest, tears streaming from his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. Clint did not let go of Steve as he reached out to Tony, resting a hand on his shoulder.

'' Hey, can you tell me what's wrong?'' Clint asked.

'' Hurts.'' Tony sobbed. '' The metal thing hurts.'' He stated. Clint's heart lept into his throat as he reached out to pull the collar of Tony's shirt down. What he feared the most was that he was going to find that it was no longer glowing.

Thankfully, it was still glowing away like it was nothing. It did not even flicker as Clint watched it for a few minutes. He let go of the collar of his shirt to rest his hand on Tony's head.

'' It's alright bud, I don't think its damaged.'' Clint said with a sigh of relief. '' There are some nice people on their way to help us ok. They will have another look at it for you ok.'' He said.

'' It hurts.'' Tony sobbed.

'' I know buddy.'' Clint whispered '' Trust me, I know.'' Clint's eyes flitted over to where Natasha was at. She was clearly unconscious, her head lolled to the side to stare at them. Clint prayed that Shield would hurry the hell up and get here. He was strong, but there was no way he could carry two crying children and an unconscious Black Widow, while also trying to shepherd the other two kids up the stairs. He would have to sit still and wait for help to come to them.

He hated waiting so much.

 

\---

 

When Natasha woke up again she found herself in one of shields medical wards. Her head was swimming as she tried to push up to a sitting position. She had to get back to the others. The kids. Dear god, where were the kids?

'' Whoa, hold up, no moving just yet.''

Natasha felt a strong and steady hand on her shoulder. The hand slowly pushed her back against the bed. She forced her eyes to open, gazing up at Clint's worried gaze.

'' Clint.'' Natasha blinked, trying to clear the blurriness from her eyes. '' Where... Where are the kids?'' She asked. '' Where are they? Please tell me they're ok.''

'' Relax Natasha.'' Clint said. '' They are just fine. They are in the other room if you would like me to bring them in?'' He said. Natasha nodded immediately, letting her eyes fall shut for a moment. She felt rather light headed at the moment.

When she opened her eyes again four small teammates were rushing through the doorway. Steve was being carried by Clint. The poor blonde looked absolutely exhausted, his face still pale like it had been before. Tony was in his other arm, watching Natasha with worried eyes. Her gaze was torn from the two of them when Bruce and Thor climbed onto the bed, getting as close to her as they dared to. She followed their gaze to find that they were watching the tubes that went into her body. She was hooked up to two different IV lines, one feeding her blood while the other fed her fluids. She was attached to a cannula as well feeding her much needed oxygen. She looked mush worse for wear then she cared to think about.

'' Are you hurt still?'' Bruce asked in a fear filled voice. '' That mean lady hurt you.'' Natasha gave him a soft smile as she reached up to brush her thumb across his cheek.

'' I'm alright now little Brucie. No need to worry ok.'' She said. '' I was worried about you guys, are you ok?'' She asked.

'' Steve couldn't breath.'' Thor said, glancing back towards the blonde. '' He was all blue in the face.'' Natasha's eyes went wide as she looked up to where Clint was standing. He had just set Tony down on the bed, but his arms were still wrapped protectively around Steve as if he were afraid to let go of him.

'' He had an asthma attack. It was pretty bad there for a little bit.'' Clint explained. '' If I had not thought to keep his inhaler on me then I don't know what would have happened.'' He said in a much softer tone. Natasha nodded, and then her eyes shifted down to Tony. She watched as he slowly began to move up the bed before lifting a hand up to his chest with a wince of pain. Her eyes were back on Clint in seconds. '' Broken ribs. What ever she did to him caused the arc reactor casing to shift. There's heavy bruising and a few broken ribs. The doctors said to be extra careful about watching his breathing because of it since the trauma would make it harder to breath at times.'' He explained.

'' That bitch.'' Natasha cursed in Russian. '' I'm gonna kill her when I get out of this bed.'' She stated. Tony made it up the rest of the way, and the second Natasha could reach him she was reaching out to pull him into a tight hug. '' I'm so sorry that I let her hurt you. It won't happen again.'' She felt his hand land on her shoulder, and then there was a soft gasp.

'' You're hurt.'' Tony stated, voice trembling as he backed away from her. Natasha cringed inwardly as she reached up to rub at the bandages wrapped around her shoulders. There were similar ones all around her right arm, the one that she remembered being sliced open during the fight. When she looked back to the other kids she realized that they all had tears in their eyes again. It broke her heart to see this.

'' I'm alright you guys.'' Natasha promised. '' It's alright. I will be just fine.'' She swiped a few stray tears off of Bruce's face as she gave them all a smile. Clint finally allowed Steve to sit on the bed. The second he was free of his hold he was crawling up to Natasha, hugging her tight.

'' I'm glad that you are ok.'' Steve said. '' I was worried.'' He stated.

'' Well don't' be. I'm alright now.'' Natasha said. She backed away from him, and her eyes found their way to Clint. '' Where is she?'' She asked.

'' She's being held in the detention cells.'' Clint explained. '' We were waiting for you to wake up to start the interrogation.'' He explained.

'' Good. Because I'm going down there.'' She stated. '' She's going to pay for what she did to all of you.'' Natasha said, glancing towards the kids. All four of them looked up to Cling in worry before he was reaching down to grab Steve once again.

'' Come on you four, lets get you back to your room.'' He stated, scooping Tony in his other arm before he could argue. Bruce and Thor clambered their way off the bed to follow. '' I'll be back to help you out of that bed once they're settled.'' He stated.

'' Good.'' Natasha said. '' I want this bitch to pay now.'' She stated.

'' What's a bitch?'' Tony asked in a soft but curious voice.

Natasha could still hear Clint laughing after he had left the room.


	6. Confession

Natasha wanted to kill Clint when he suggested that she ride in a wheelchair. 

'' No.'' She stated firmly from where she sat on the edge of her bed. 

'' It's doctors orders Nat, not mine.'' Clint said, reaching for the child who was sitting in it. Thor had refused to be left in the room with the others, stating that he wanted to protect Natasha from the evil lady. Clint relented, allowing the god to ride in the wheelchair when he rolled it to her room. He swept Thor up out of the chair only to set him down a moment later. '' Just do it ok. I'm pretty sure that the doctors here will skin me if I don't take you out of here in this thing.'' Just the thought of it had a shiver tearing through him. Natasha sighed, leaning back slightly. 

'' Bring the damn thing over.'' She stated with a wave of her hand. Clint did as she said, but when he held a hand out to help aid her off the bed she refused it. '' I can still get up on my own birdbrains.'' She stated. 

'' Again, that's Tony's line.'' Clint said, backing away to allow Natasha some space. It was a slow process getting to her feet, but she managed it. She dropped into the wheelchair with a huff of both annoyance and fatigue. It was going to be a few days before she was back to her normal self. She hated it so much, even more so then the fact that they were stuck taking care of four kids who should be four grown adults. The second she was settled she felt a tug at her pants leg. She looked down to find Thor looking up at her, his hands held up. She immediately smiled at this. 

'' You want to ride to?'' Natasha asked. 

'' Yes please.'' Thor asked, making a grabbing motion with his hands. Natasha reached down then, and swept the boy up into her lap. She let him settle before pointing to the door. '' Onward birdbrains.'' She said with a laugh. She laughed even harder when she heard Clint curse behind her before he began to push the wheelchair towards the doorway. 

There were agents all over the place watching them warily. Their eyes were almost always on Thor, who none of them had ever seen as a child. It was a little unnerving for her to see, but she let it slide for the moment. She could deal with that after she pounded the ladies face in. She was going to pay for even laying a hand on her team. 

They boarded the elevator to head down. Once they were alone Natasha asked the question weighing on her mind. 

'' Where are we exactly?'' She asked. 

'' We're in DC.'' Clint explained. '' We're aboard one of the hellicarriers which will be taking off hopefully soon. Furry said that we need to keep them moving in case someone else comes to either try to kidnap them, or worse.'' Clint explained. He did not have to finish for Natasha to understand what he meant. The thought of them killing her teammates was even worse then if they were taken. 

'' Are their guards outside their room?'' Natasha asked again, worried for the other three they left behind. 

'' Yes. There were when I came to get you.'' Clint said. '' There's high security in the medical ward as it is. It would take a miracle for someone to get to them now.'' He stated. 

That did not make Natasha feel much better about the situation.

The elevator opened to a long hallway that Natasha recognized as the detention level. Clint rolled her wheelchair all the way down to the end where a pair of guards were standing. 

'' Ready to start the interrogation.'' Clint stated. The guard nodded before moving aside to open the door for them. When they moved inside Natasha recognized the set up immediately. 

This was the same chamber that they had trapped Loki in before, and the same one that had been meant to hold the Hulk. 

Clint rolled her wheelchair up to the glass, revealing the lady who was sitting in the middle of the cell. She lifted her gaze to them when the wheelchair stopped moving, a sadistic grin on her face as her eyes flitted to Thor. Natasha felt Thor flinch under her grip, which worried her. He was clearly scared, even if he did not want to admit it. 

'' It's nice to see a familiar face, even if he does not remember me.'' She whispered before pushing to a stand. She slowly approached the glass, placing a hand against it as she continued to smile down at them. '' How are those other two doing? I'm sure I left some lasting damage on the one I kicked.'' Natasha swallowed back her anger at the mention of what she had done to Tony. She could not let herself go now. She had to remain strong for now. She could take her anger out later. 

'' Why'd you hurt her mean lady?'' Thor asked. '' She has done nothing to anger you.'' 

'' True, young Odinson, but she was not my target.'' She stated. 

'' Start talking.'' Natasha demanded. '' Why did you try to kill Tony and Bruce in the elevator, and why did you try to take them away?'' She asked, her tone never changing. She glared coldly at the lady as she took a few steps back from the glass. She took a seat on the floor once again, running a hand back through her tangled brown hair. She played with the hem of her skirt for a few seconds, her eyes never leaving Natasha. 

'' Wouldn't you just love to know why Loki really did this to them.'' She whispered. '' It's a shame someone like you has not figured it out already. You would think a spy such as yourself would be smarter then this.'' She mocked with a click of her tongue.

She was lucky that she was in that cell. If she were not then Natasha was sure she would have snapped her neck.

'' Tell me now, why did you do this?'' Natasha asked.

'' Because it's what Loki wants.'' She stated. '' He doesn't have a choice. Ever since we broke him out of prison he's told us about what happened after he tried to take your world. He wants revenge not only for himself, but for the man who gave him the power to do so.'' She stated.

'' And who would that be?'' Natasha asked.

'' Someone you do not ever want to meet in your lifetime.'' She explained. '' Someone even more ruthless then the worst man on this planet.''

'' Wanna bet that?'' Natasha asked.

The girl smirked at this.

'' Now tell me, why did Loki send you to attack us?'' Natasha asked. The lady sighed, pushing back to a stand to begin pacing the room. She did not look towards Natasha when she began to speak.

'' Loki's plan was to kidnap them the second that they were turned to children.'' She stated. '' However, something went wrong when he cast the spell, so we had to retreat. I'm not getting into the details of that because it's really not important. We had to retreat, and the second we had the chance Loki sent up back in. I'm sure that the others are looking all over for us as we speak. They won't be pleased to see that I failed, so I probably don't have long to live.'' She stated.

'' You seem pretty optimistic about facing death.'' Natasha commented.

'' Well, I have faced death since I was as old as the god resting in your lap.'' She stated, gesturing towards Thor. He had not said a word the whole time, his eyes trained on the lady the entire time. He was stiff under her hold, as if he were afraid that she was going to do something. Natasha knew that was not the case. There was no way she could get through that glass before Clint would send her flying towards the ground. Natasha found herself tightening her hold around Thor's waist. It was as if she were afraid the lady would actually reach through the glass to rip him away from her.

'' Loki does not stand for failure. He killed one of the men he hired before we even made it to earth because he refused to go with him. I'll be next once he finds us.'' She stated. '' And then he will track you down, kill the two of you, and take the kids to do as he pleases with them.''

'' And what would that be?'' Natasha asked.

'' Lot's of people out there would pay a heavy price for the super soldier. People in your government would love to see the Hulk put down for good, so that one should be obvious. For Stark, well.... We'll figure something out for him. Someone out there must want some revenge against him. In his current state, they would have the perfect opportunity.''

'' You bitch.'' Natasha cursed in Russian.

'' Where is Loki at now?'' Clint demanded, his fist slamming into the glass above Natasha's head. She had not even heard him come up behind her. Thor flinched in her arms at the loud sound, but he did not make a move to try and escape.

'' How should I know?'' She asked. '' I found my own way to that tower because of the way its labeled. I thought for sure I would find something there, and it turns out I did. I guess I got lucky.'' The lady glared at them with an evil eye. '' Loki will rip the two of you limb from limb. You won't make it out of this one.'' She stated.

'' Just watch us do so.'' Natasha stated. She turned towards Clint. '' Let's get out of here. I want to check on them.'' She stated. Clint nodded, reaching for the handles on her wheelchair. As they turned to leave the lady shouted out one last warning.

'' Loki's coming for you. You will never see him coming.'' She shouted.

The two spys pretended to ignore her, when in reality they were terrified about the thought of what would happen if Loki did find them.

 

\---

 

When they returned to the medical ward Natasha insisted to stay in the same room as the kids. THe doctors allowed it, rolling over any equipment they would need to accommodate them all as they got settled for the night. Natasha was on one bed curled up on her side. Bruce and Thor were laying on either side of her. Bruce was wrapped up in her arms, his head against her chest, while Thor was resting against her back. When Natasha glanced up to the other bed she found Clint laying flat on his back. Steve was laying over his chest snoring softly. Clint's right arm was stretched out to the side being used as a pillow by Tony. The sight was adorable, which was why she was sad that JARVIS was not here to take a photo this time.

She was going to have so much blackmail against her team when this was over with.

She let her eyes slide shut, sleep slowly beginning to pull her under.

She was not sure how long she was asleep for, but she knew it was not for long. Something woke her up, something as soft as the flapping of a hummingbirds wings. She shot up on the bed, her eyes quickly finding her way towards the kid laying against her back. Thor was squirming in his sleep, whimpering in fear.

'' Thor?'' Natasha reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. Thor ripped away from her touch, nearly toppling off the bed had the guard rail not been up. He was turned onto his back, his eyes scrunched up as tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. Natasha knew the signs of what was going on. He was having a pretty nasty nightmare.

'' Thor, you need to wake up. It's just a dream.'' Natasha said. She slowly moved to stand, placing Bruce on the other bed without disturbing him. She saw Clint shift just enough so that he had a good line of sight of what was going on. Steve and Tony had not even stirred, and if Bruce had woken up he had shown no signs of it.

'' What's going on?'' Clint asked, his eyes quickly finding Thor.

'' He's having a nightmare I believe.'' Natasha said. She reached to place a hand on his shoulder again.

Thunder rang out overhead as the hellicarrier seemed to dip from the sky.

This got the other kids attention.

Bruce woke up first, fearful eyes searching the dark room for what had happened. Steve was wide awake, watching Natasha as tears began to fill his eyes, his hands fisting into the front of Clint's shirt. Tony stirred slowly, his eyes groggy when he looked up. When Thor let off a terrifying scream he was wide awake, eyes glued to the god in worry.

'' What's happening?'' Steve asked in a shaky voice.

'' Thor's having a nightmare.'' Natasha repeated once again. She swept the god up into her lap, holding him close as she began to rock back and forth. She began to whisper softly into his ear, wanting to comfort him however she could. More thunder rang out, the hellicarrier trembling under them once more. Steve began to cry harder as he buried his face into Clint's chest. Bruce scrambled from the bed, pushing himself as far into a corner as he possibly could. Tony had not even moved, his eyes never once leaving Thor's trembling form.

'' I think his nightmares affecting the weather.'' Clint said.

'' Try to get them to calm down.'' She stated, gesturing to the other kids. '' I'll take him for a little walk. Hopefully it will help.'' She stated. She stood from the bed while Thor was still squirming. She never let her grip falter as she swiftly walked from the room. She shut the door behind her before making her way down the hall. She stepped towards the window, gazing out at the now stormy night sky. Lightning flashed across the clouds, lighting up the hallway before a deafening boom filled their ears.

The thunder woke Thor up with a shout, his eyes wild as he tried to break free of Natasha's hold.

'' Thor, it's ok.'' Natasha whispered. She tightened her grip, tucking his head under her chin. '' You're ok. It was just a nightmare. It was just a bad dream. You're ok.'' She whispered. Thor was gasping for air against her chest. His eyes were glued to the storm outside as lightning continued to flash across the sky. He did not seem afraid of the lightning. In fact, he seemed intrigued by it. Slowly, after watching it for a time, he began to calm down. He fell slack against her chest, his head resting on her chest as he watched the storm pass outside. Eventually the lightning and thunder ceased, and the storm fell quiet. When it did Thor looked up to Natasha with sad eyes.

'' I'm sorry.'' Thor said. '' I woke you up... Mother and Father never would have allowed me to do so if they were here.'' He stated.

'' It's alright Thor.'' Natasha said. '' You gave the others quite a scare.'' She stated. Thor let his gaze drop to the floor.

'' I have scared the other children. I am sorry.'' He mumbled.

'' Don't be.'' Natasha said. '' It was just a bad dream.'' She stated. Her eyes shifted to the window once more. There was still rain falling, hitting the glass every few seconds before falling in rivulets. She did not tear her eyes away until she felt a tug on her pants leg. She glanced down to find that Tony had left the room. He was looking up at her with worried eyes.

'' Is he ok?'' Tony asked, gesturing towards Thor. Natasha bent down carefully, patting Tony on the head.

'' He's alright now.'' She stated. '' Are the others doing any better?'' She asked. Tony shook his head no.

'' Steve and Bruce are crying really loud. I didn't like the sound.... It scared me.'' He stated. Natasha looked at him puzzled.

'' Why did it scare you?'' Natasha asked.

'' Because it made me sad.... Daddy would be mad if I got upset like that.'' Tony let his gaze drop to the floor. Natasha bit at her lip.

It was going to be a long night.

'' Come on.'' She stated, reaching out to grab his hand. '' Let's go check on the others.'' She stated. Tony nodded, and allowed her to lead him back to the room.


	7. Ambush

When Natasha returned to the room with Tony and Thor in tow she was quick to find that Steve and Bruce were still crying. Clint was trying his best to calm them down, Steve hugged to his chest while Bruce buried his face into his thigh. The storm had frightened them really bad.

'' I scared them.'' Thor mumbled, hiding his face from their view. '' I am so sorry my friends.'' He mumbled, refusing to look up at Steve and Bruce. Natasha sighed in sympathy. She brought Thor over to the bed, setting him in front of Clint and the other two kids. She sat on the edge of the bed before reaching down to pull Tony up onto the bed as well.

'' He good now?'' Clint asked, gesturing to Thor.

'' He's good, but he's blaming himself for what happened and why those two are scared.'' Natasha stated, pointing towards Steve and Bruce. Clint nodded, quick turning his attention back to Steve.

'' Hey. It's alright now. The storms over, it's not going to hurt you.'' Clint assured in a soft voice. She watched as Steve turned his head away from Clint to gaze at them. His eyes found Natasha's, and then the tears seemed to fall silent. Bruce was no longer crying as well, clearly realizing that the storm had passed.

'' I am sorry my friends. I did not mean to scare you so.'' Thor said in a sad voice. It broke Natasha's heart to see it. He looked like he was going to start sobbing again, just like when he had woken from his nightmare. That was something that they did not need.

'' It's not your fault.'' Clint said. '' You were having a bad nightmare.'' He stated.

'' But I have scared my friends away. Are you not mad at me?'' Thor asked.

'' No one's mad at you.'' Tony piped up. '' We were scared of the storm.'' He stated. Thor looked at him in confusion.

'' You get scared of the storms?'' Thor questioned. Steve nodded out of the corner of their eyes. 

'' Lightning's scary.'' He whimpered. 

'' I am sorry.'' Thor whispered. '' I did not mean to scare any of you.'' He stated. 

'' What's done is done. There's nothing we can do now.'' Natasha said. She reached out, resting a hand on Bruce's shoulder. '' Are you ok?'' She asked. Bruce looked up at her with fearful eyes, but he nodded to her none the less. Natasha gave him a soft smile before scooping him up into her lap. Bruce leaned into her touch with a sigh, clearly enjoying the contact. 

'' Why don't we try to go back to sleep, yes?'' Natasha suggested. '' The storm's gone now.'' She stated. 

'' No.'' Steve whispered. '' Can't.... Still scared.'' He said. 

'' Yes you can buddy.'' Clint said. '' Just relax. It's alright.'' He stated. Steve shook his head once again when Clint began to lay back in the bed. He held Steve against his chest this time so that he could not get up to leave. Steve looked a little confused at first, but Natasha knew what he was doing. She had seen him do it with his own kids when they were this age. He would hold them against his chest in just the right spot so that they could hear his heartbeat. She knew when Steve was able to hear it because his entire body relaxed into the hold, and he began to fall asleep once again. Tony moved close as if to try and protect Steve, one hand gripping his arm as he settled back down for some sleep. Natasha stayed on the bed beside Clint for a few extra minutes before crossing the room to her own bed. She fell asleep with Bruce on top of her chest, and Thor curled up against her side. 

All was peaceful once again. 

 

\---

 

'' She hasn't said a word since you talked to her yesterday.'' Clint stated, leaning back in his chair. Natasha nodded out of the corner of his eyes, her eyes glued to the four kids running around like maniacs. They had woken up with what seemed to be an endless supply of energy, running around the hospital room enough that they feared they would either break something, or break themselves. That was when Natasha decided that it would be a good idea for them to blow off some steam. Shield had plenty of training rooms on board the hellicarrier that were not in use. It was the perfect place to take them to blow off some steam so that they would relax. Of course, Clint made her ride down in the wheelchair despite proving last night that she could walk around just fine without it. It annoyed her to much that she was bound to it. 

'' Should I go down there to have a chat?'' Natasha asked. '' She seemed pretty talkative when I was there.'' She stated. 

'' She was talkative because it was scaring Thor.'' Clint reminded. '' I'm pretty sure she was the reason he had that nightmare last night.'' He added, glancing towards her. 

'' I know.'' Natasha whispered. She watched as Steve ran towards one of the large punching bags hanging from the ceiling. He hid behind it, giggling as Tony and Thor tried to corner him. The two were laughing like maniacs as they continued to chase Steve around the room. Even Bruce had gotten involved in the game, managing to catch Steve by surprise when he side swiped him, sending the two of them crashing to the ground. Steve stumbled after the blow, laughing still as he got back up to continue running. 

'' Loki can't be far behind us now.'' Natasha commented. '' He must know by now that we are in the air, and he won't stop at anything to get us.'' 

'' He wants them. He want's us dead.'' Clint reminded. 

'' I know.'' Natasha whispered. '' We need a plan in case he tries to come back.'' She stated. Clint nodded. 

'' Quinjet.'' He suggested. '' It's out best bet to sneak them out if Loki manages to get anywhere near them.'' Clint explained. 

'' Then you have to do what ever you possibly can to get them there if Loki manages to find us.'' Natasha said. 

'' What about you?'' Clint asked. 

'' You don't want to know that answer.'' Natasha said. '' Just know that I am going to do all that I can to keep him from getting his hands on them.'' She stated, pointing to the kids. '' I refuse to let anything happen to them again. If I had not left them to look for her then they would not have been hurt.''

'' And if you stayed put then there's a high chance that you would have been taken out, and then they would have no one to defend them.'' Clint reminded. '' You were just doing what you thought was right.'' He stated.

'' I guess.'' Natasha whispered. Her eyes drifted back to the kids. Thor was carrying Bruce on his back, screaming as he ran around the room. Steve kept trying to get Tony to climb on his back, but he kept refusing. Natasha sighed. '' I wish we could figure out how to change them back. I don't know how much longer we can keep this up even with SHIELD behind us.'' She explained.

'' Then we better hope that Loki show's his ugly face, one way or another we're getting him to change them back.'' Clint said.

They stayed in this room for a little while longer before herding their team back together. Natasha had scooped Bruce up into her lap, holding him close as Clint rolled her wheelchair down the hallway. The other three followed close around her, running and laughing like there was no tomorrow.

Natasha could not help the smile that spread on her face.

That smile faded away just as quick as it came when an alarm began to blare overhead.

It was the only warning they had before the hellicarrier was jerking to one side, sending them all into the nearby wall. Natasha was thrown from her wheelchair, her arms wrapped tightly around Bruce as she tried to protect him from the impact. She heard the kids screaming in terror as smoke began to fill the hallway.

'' CLINT!'' Natasha shouted. She could tell that Bruce was crying in her arms when she forced herself to stand. Her shoulder was filled with pain, telling her that the stitches had opened up.

'' HERE!'' Clint shouted, appearing in the smoke a few feet to her right. He had Steve in one arm, his hand being held in a death grip by Tony. Thor was standing beside him, clearly startled by what had just happened. There was blood on Thor's face, and it looked like his arm was cut as well. There was also blood on Steve's forehead from a deep cut above his eye. He was crying, clearly scared by what had just happened. Tony was crying as well, his eyes flying all over the room in terror as pushed as close as he possibly could to Clint's leg.

'' Get them out of here.'' Natasha said as she passed Bruce off to him. He had to let go of Tony's hand, which had the younger crying harder as he gripped onto his pants instead, to take the precious bundle into his arms. Bruce buried his face into Clint's shoulder as he sobbed uncontrollably.

'' What about you?'' Clint asked.

'' Don't worry about me.'' Natasha said. '' Just get them somewhere safe.'' She stated.

'' I'm not leaving this carrier without you.'' Clint stated.

'' Then you better get them to the jet before I have a chance to find who ever did this.'' Natasha stated. She turned her back on Clint a moment later, and began to run down the hallway through the smoke that was only growing thicker. Thor looked up to Clint in worry.

'' What shall we do now?' He asked, clearly on the verge of tears. Clint tightened his grip around the two in his arms as he turned his back on Natasha.

'' Into the vent's.'' He stated, heading towards the large vent in the ceiling close by. It was the best option to both travel to the jet, and keep the kids out of sight.

 

\---

 

Natasha made it to the bridge of the ship in record timing. She could feel blood on her shoulder that was slowly oozing across her back. She would have to get that checked after this.

'' What's going on out there?'' Natasha demanded as she stepped up to where Fury was standing at the helm.

'' Explosion on the lower level. Someone's broken into the carrier from the outside.'' Fury said. The situation reminded Natasha of another time this had happened, shortly before they had started to call themselves a team. Last time Clint was the one to cause the explosion, but this time...

'' Who was it Fury?'' Natasha demanded.

'' Who do you think?'' Fury shot back. '' Loki.'' He whispered before shouting orders for shield agents to get down to the engine's so that Loki and his goons could not disable them. Natasha felt anger begin to build. '' Where is he?'' She demanded.

'' Lower floors. He's making his way here.'' Fury stated. '' He's after the other's. Tell me Clint's got them.'' He demanded.

'' They're on their way to the hanger bay as we speak.'' Natasha said. '' He won't let anything happen to them.''

'' Good.'' Fury said.

'' I have some hunting to do.'' Natasha said, and then she was disappearing into the shadows to track Loki and his goons down.

She would die before they would hurt her team again.

 

\---

 

'' That's it, keep going, you're doing great.'' Clint said.

'' I'm scared.'' Steve cried out, trembling as he tried to pass over the vent that lead to the hallway below.

'' It won't fall. I promise you.'' Clint said. '' Just keep going, it's alright.'' Steve nodded, and continued to crawl. Once he was moving again Thor was pushing forward. He was constantly looking back to make sure that Tony and Bruce were still there. The god feared for them, worried that they would need his help. Clint had to give Bruce a bit of a nudge to get him moving, but once he was moving he did not stop.

Clint knew the ventilation shafts aboard the carriers like the back of his hand. He knew that they had to take a let up ahead, and then drop out of them to go up to the hanger bay. They were almost there, but at this pace it would take awhile still.

'' Don't stop what ever you do.'' Clint reminded. '' We have to get to safety.''

Clint watched as they continued to crawl through the vent.

Then there was a scream from the from.

Clint looked up in horror, and he watched as Steve went plunging through the vent he had been crawling across.

'' NO!'' Clint crawled overtop the other kids, looking through the vent to find Steve in the arms of one of Loki's goons. He had deliberately reached up there to get him. He was holding a hand against Steve's mouth, silencing his screams of terror. He looked up, quickly seeing Clint there. He grinned, and then he was reaching up to grab another one of the kids.

'' BACK, GET BACK!'' Clint shouted as he reached for the knife on his belt. He brought it to bear, stabbing the man in the hand hard enough to make him scream. Clint pushed Bruce and Thor back as far as he could from the vent before he moved to reach for Tony. He had an arm wrapped around his waist, ready to start crawling away to get him to safety.

He felt something sharp dig into his leg, and then he was weightless.

Clint was wrenched from the vent like a ragdoll, his arms still wrapped tightly around Tony's waist. The two of them crashed to the ground. The scream he heard come from Tony's throat had his anger shooting through the roof. He ignored the pain in his leg as he pushed to a stand. He turned, knife back in his hand as he reached to attack the man.

Clint stopped midway when he realized that his attacker was holding a knife against Steve's neck. Steve's bright blue eyes were on him in seconds, terror emanating from them. Clint thought he felt his heart stop at the sight.

'' Take another step and little Steve here loses his life.'' He warned. Clint could have heard a pin drop as he lowered his hand to his side.

'' I thought you would see it our way.'' Someone whispered from behind. Clint moved to strike, but he felt the needle slip into his neck before he could fully turn around. He hit the floor with a thud, his limbs going numb. His eyes quickly found their way to where Tony was still laying on the floor. He was watching him, clearly struggling to breath from the fall, before the man who had drugged him swept the boy up into his arms. Clint's vision went dark a moment later.


	8. Kidnapped

Natasha had been half way to the hangar bay when the call went out over the com.

_ALL HANDS TO THE HANGAR BAY. THEY HAVE THE AVENGERS HELD HOSTAGE!_

Natasha felt horror flood her veins as she forced her legs to move faster. How had they managed to get their hands on them. Clint had a plan set for just this situation. There was no way they could have found him that quickly.

That did not matter now. What did matter was getting her teammates back.

She rushed as fast as she could towards the hangar bay, her legs flying faster then she ever thought possible. She refused to let anything else happen to them. They had already been hurt enough, that would not happen again.

She reached the hangar bay just as a group of agents did. When they rushed inside they found that one of the quinjets had been hijacked. The bay door was down, and they were loading someone onto it. She quickly recognized the figure as being Clint. He was unconscious, being carried by two men up into the jet. Natasha slowly began to make her way over as she heard someone crying. She recognized that voice immediately as Steve's. She hid behind a crate of supplies, glancing over to find that Steve was in the arms of one of the Asgardians they had fought before this whole mess started.

'' Enough with your tears little one.'' The man said with a sneer. '' Just what would your mother think of you, such a weakling.'' He stated. Steve began to cry harder. Another one of the Asgardians walked by with two figures held up in his arms. One of them was Bruce, who was fighting to try and get free of the hold as tears streamed down his face. The other figure was Tony, who was doing the same as Bruce. A third figure walked by with Thor in his arms. He was struggling to get free, kicking and screaming against the mans chest.

'' Enough with your fighting.'' He stated. Thor continued to do so when the man held up what looked like a needle. He plunged it into Thor's neck, and then the god went still. This shocked Natasha. She had never thought a drug could take him down that easily. Natasha reached for her guns, and slowly moved towards the jet while remaining out of sight. As she moved she spotted Loki step off the jet, a grin on his face.

'' Make sure Odinson doesn't wake up till we arrive. The other three just tie them up with the archer.'' Loki stated. '' Our buyers are waiting for us. We have no time to lose.''

'' What about Leyla?'' One of them asked.

'' No need to worry about her.'' Loki stated. '' I've already taken care of her.'' He said with a grin on his face. He turned his back on them, walking back into the jet. '' Make sure they are loaded. We need to leave now.'' He stated. Natasha moved as fast as she dared to, never once letting herself be seen. She watched as they began to load her team onto the jet. She knew that showing herself now would only get then hurt, or even worse. Instead she slowly made her way to the jet. Just as the bay doors were closing she slipped through, finding a nook where she could hide for the duration of the flight. 

Before she settled n for what she bet would be hours, she pulled the tracker she always had out of her pocket. She clicked the button on it, and then slipped it back into her pocket. 

Now all that was left to do was wait. 

 

\---

 

When Clint woke up again he was laying on his side. The floor was cold, seeping into his aching muscles. He tried to move, but realized right away that he could not. He was immobilized, hands tied behind his back, and his legs bound together. He immediately looked around himself, eyes searching for the kids. They had been with him when he was drugged. He had to make sure they were OK. 

'' Steve.'' Clint called out, his voice hoarse. '' Tony, Bruce.'' 

'' Clint?'' 

The soft voice had Clint's head snapping up. He looked up, and found four sets of eyes looking back at him. All four of them looked terrified, eyes filled to the brim with tears that wanted to fall. They were all bound similarly to him, all except for Thor. He had been chained to the wall in a way that he was unable to move at all. 

'' Are you guys ok?'' Clint asked. 

'' I'm scared.'' Steve said. '' I wanna go home.'' 

'' Why is this happening?'' Bruce asked in a soft voice. 

Thor and Tony did not say a word. They were gazing off into space as if they were not even there. The sight scared Clint. He wanted nothing more then to break them out of here, but he could not even lift a finger at the moment to undo the ties on his wrists. His hands were numb, and he was trapped. 

'' What are we going to do?'' Steve asked as his tears began to fall. '' They are mean.... They want to hurt us.'' 

'' I know they do buddy.'' Clint said. '' I need you guys to stay calm for me ok.'' They all nodded, finally getting a response from both Tony and Thor. '' I want you to try to move. If you can then show me.'' He stated. He waited a beat or two, and then Steve began to move. He did not get far before falling over onto his side. Clint had to bite back a laugh at the look of disappointment on his face. 

'' My hands are numb.'' Bruce whimpered, tears finally falling from his eyes. The sight broke Clint's heart. He wanted to wrap him up in a hug, but with his arms bound behind him he was unable to do so. He was going to kill Loki when he got out of here. 

Clint sighed, leaning so that he was more on his stomach then on his side. It allowed him to get some feelings back in his arms, but not much. He looked back up to the others, and saw that they were all still watching him. 

'' It's going to be ok. I promise you.'' Clint said. '' I promise you that I won't let anything happen to you.'' 

'' I'm scared.'' Tony finally whispered. '' Daddy won't pay to get me back.'' He added in a much softer voice. 

Clint knew that if Tony's father were still alive then he would not have been for long. 

'' It's going to be ok.'' Clint repeated. '' I promise you.'' 

Deep down inside, he did not believe his own words. 

 

\---

 

Natasha slowly lowered herself from the jet. She had remained where she was for about an hour after they had landed. She had watched as they dragged Clint off the jet like a rag doll, carrying the rest of her team as they screamed and cried to be let go. Of course, Loki and his thugs did not head their cries. When the hour had passed she left her hiding place only to enter what looked like an airfields storage facility. The quinjet sat alone in the large complex, covered easily by the darkness that spread across the room. This gave Natasha an easy way out. She stuck to the shadows, and slowly made her way towards the nearest door to make it out of the room. She stopped long enough to check that the tracker was still on and blinking. The red light glared back at her, causing a smile to spread on her face. She tucked it away safely in her pocket before moving swiftly with the shadows. 

She had some searching to do. 

 

\---

 

Clint was not sure how much time they had spent in the dark room. He was watching all four kids like a hawk, refusing to let anything happen to them. Bruce and Steve had fallen asleep, leaning heavily against each other for warmth and comfort in the cold damp room. Thor had been trying for hours now to break the chains holding him against the wall, but he had no luck. They were made specifically to hold him. Tony had not said a word, his gaze cast to the floor the entire time.

There was a creaking sound from the other side of the door, and then they watched as it opened up. One of the Asgardians who kidnapped them stepped inside, not even looking at Clint as he went straight for the kids. He moved towards Steve first, who began to stir the second that he reached down for him. Steve looked up in horror, screaming when the man reached out to grab him.

'' Leave him alone!'' Clint shouted. '' Don't touch them. Do what ever you want to me, just don't hurt them.'' He stated. The man did not listen to him as he reached to grab Tony as well. He did not react when he was hoisted up into the air. He was thrown over his shoulder like a rag doll as he pulled Steve up into the air. '' PUT THEM DOWN! DON'T HURT THEM!'' 

The man sneered at Clint before he kicked him in the face. Everything went blurry for a moment. When his vision cleared once more the door had shut, and Tony and Steve were gone. Clint cursed low under his breath. He could hear Bruce and Thor crying from where they sat closer to the wall.

'' What's gonna happen to them?'' Bruce asked, gasping for air.

'' If they dare to hurt them I will hunt them down and slay them.'' Thor said.

'' It's going to be ok guys.'' Clint whispered.

Deep down, he did not believe that anymore.

 

\---

 

Tony looked up from where he was being carried over the guys shoulder. He made sure to memorize every move that he made as he carried both him and Steve down the hall towards what looked like another larger room. He was careful not to reveal that he had undid the bindings on his hands. It was a trick that JARVIS had made sure to teach him after the first kidnapping he had ever suffered when he was four. He watched as they approached the room, entering through double doors. There were large wooden crates all over the place, some of them open to reveal contents that were inside. It was clear that someone had been looking through it given that there was packing supplies all over the place. Tony wondered what was in those cases, but right now he had to focus on being spaced out. If he could trick them then maybe he could help Steve.

'' Put them over there. I think we may have a buyer, but they want proof.'' Loki stated. Tony was lowered to the ground a moment later, set right beside a sobbing Steve. He looked up enough so that he could see Steve, but not alert the scary green man that he was not spaced out. He saw a camera set before then, the light on the front blinking red to indicate that they were being recorded. Tony had been in front of enough cameras that he knew what to look for to see whether he was being recorded or not.

'' Tony?'' Steve whispered beside him. Tony did not react anymore then lifting his head ever so slightly to see him. Steve was sobbing, snot and tears dripping down his puffy red cheeks. '' What's going to happen to us? I'm scared.'' 

Tony did not say anything other then nod. He kept his gaze down after that while they continued to record. It only took them about five minutes, and then two of the three men were walking away, leaving the green man inside with them. He stared them down, an evil grin on his face. 

'' I wonder what you would say now if you were your true selves.'' He questioned. '' It's a shame that I won't get to watch you die myself, but at least I will be credited for the destruction of the Avengers.'' 

'' Just let us go.'' Steve said. '' We didn't do anything to you.'' The green man only laughed at this. He turned his back on the two. 

That's when Tony moved. 

He was careful to be quiet as he snuck behind Steve. Steve did not make a noise as he began to undo the ropes around his wrists. It did not take him long to free him given that he could see what he was doing. He had Steve free, and was just beginning to stand, when Loki turned back around to face them. There was anger on his face as he launched forward to try and grab them. Tony dove to one side, Steve managing to run the other direction to stay out of his reach. Loki fell to the floor with a thud, and the second he did he was  crying out for the other men to return. Tony ran over to Steve's side, helping him to his feet. 

'' What now?'' Steve asked. 

'' Run!'' Tony said. He pulled Steve towards what looked like a ventilation shaft that was close by a few of the crates. He shoved Steve up onto the first box, instructing him to climb as he followed. Loki was right behind them, reaching out to grab a hold of Tony's arm. Tony kicked back hard, landing a blow to the mans nose. He grunted in pain, stepping away long enough so that they could reach the grate. Steve was already pulling at it, the rusted metal bolts holding it in giving way once Tony helped to pull it free. Steve crawled into the small opening first, and Tony was close behind him. Tony crawled a good distance inside before he turned to see that Loki was trying to get inside. However, there was a problem with that. He was too big to get through the hole. 

'' GET BACK HERE YOU BRAT!'' Loki bellowed. Tony stuck his tongue out at the green man before he continued to crawl after Steve. They had to get back to the others to free them. The two were determined not to leave them behind. 


End file.
